IJSRP, Volume 4, Issue 3, March 2014 Edition [ISSN 2250-3153]
Gbolahan Wahab Ayoade, Titus Adeniyi Olusi, Isiaka Adekunle Amoo, Gbolahan-Ayoade Elizabeth Eka-ete
Abstract:
This study is aimed to establish the pharmacological basis for the acclaimed antimalarial activities of the bark extracts of the three herbs. Aqueous extract of the herbs was obtained by cold maceration (72 hrs) while methanol herb extract was by soxhlet extraction. Phytochemical tests were carried out on the three herbs, the antiplasmodal activity of the aqueous extract of the herbs were screened by in-vivo model in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei using 4 days suppression test. The herb extracts were significant (p>0.05) but with varying levels of antiplasmodal activity, as Trema orientalis has the highest (85%) suppression activity followed by Morinda lucida (83%) and Alstonia soonei (80%). The phytochemical screening of the herb extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, proteins, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids, saponins and tannin. The results suggest that the bark extracts of A. soonei, M. lucida and T.orientalis possess significant antimalarial activity.